Deacon Council

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DIOCESAN DIACONATE COUNCIL

 

1.0       MISSION

 

1.1       The mission of the Diocesan Diaconate Council (or “DDC”) is threefold:

 

a.       To advise and assist the Bishop in his leadership of the Church of Oakland .

 

b.      To advise and assist the Bishop on matters related to the planning, coordination, and supervision of diaconal ministry from discernment of the vocation to the exercise of ministry and formation, including ongoing formation.

 

c.       To advise and assist the Bishop on the implementation and maintenance of the Handbook for Deacon Personnel, specifying the pastoral expectations, obligations and rights, governed by universal and particular law, of all deacon’s service to the diocesan Church, as authorized by the Bishop.

 

1.2       In advising and assisting the Bishop, the Diocesan Diaconate Council works in collaboration and cooperation with the priests, lay ecclesial ministers, Diocesan Pastoral Council, the Chancery staff and the laity of the Diocese in setting policy and establishing goals, objectives, and action plans related to the diaconate.

 

1.3       The DDC is authorized and governed by the principles set forth in the Directory for Ministry and Life of Permanent Deacons[1] (Congregation for the Clergy) as implemented in the United States by the National Directory for the Formation, Ministry and Life of Permanent Deacons in the United States[2] (USCCB).

 

2.0       VISION AND VALUES

 

2.1       The vision of the Council in accomplishing its mission shall be guided by the following values and objectives:

 

a.       Rooted in the Scriptural foundations of the call of Stephen and the six, to assist the Bishop in identifying and addressing the needs of those in the community who are forgotten, marginalized and treated unjustly.

 

b.      By example in family, work, and ecclesial ministry, to call all to holiness and be a driving force for the Church to live out its call of serving others.

 

c.       To promote ministerial competence and excellence for the diaconal community in the threefold ministry of word, liturgy, and charity.  

 

d.      To foster and encourage ministries that establish and maintain a hospitable diocese in which justice, service, and compassionate care are the core values of life in the Diocese of Oakland. 

 

e.       To assist the Bishop in meeting the spiritual, liturgical, social, emotional, and physical needs of the Diocese in a manner that celebrates the ethnic and cultural diversity of all people in the family of God

 

f.        Guided by the social teachings of the Church, to work for transformation of society that is free of injustice, oppression, bigotry, racism, and discrimination in all its forms and that values and respects the inherit dignity of all persons.

 

g.       To cultivate, support and live out an evangelizing spirit among the all the faithful as an integral element of their baptismal call to share the Good News of Jesus, especially with those who have yet to experience Christ and those who have lost their faith.

 

3          COUNCIL MEMBERSHIP

 

3.1       The Diocesan Diaconate Council is a group selected from those in the Diocese who collaborate directly or indirectly with the deacon community and its ministry.  They represent the diverse facets of the Diocese, chosen, called forth, and commissioned to join in striving to be a communion of faith under the leadership of the Bishop of the Diocese of Oakland.

 

3.2       The membership of the Diaconate Council shall consist of elected, appointed, and ex officio members. 

 

3.2.1    Elected Members from the Diaconal Community:

            The current elected President of the Deacon Board

            The President elect of the Deacon Board

            The immediate past president of the Deacon Board

            Women’s representatives to the Deacon Board (2)

                       

3.3       Appointed members are those members selected by the Bishop to serve in the Council. 

 

3.3.1    Appointed by the Bishop:

Vicar General

Director of Deacon Personnel / Bishop’s Representative

Director of Deacon Formation

Chair of the Deacon Admission Board

Chair of the Deacon Formation Advisory Board

Chair of the Deacon Continuing Education Committee

Representative(s) from the presbyterate. 

Representative(s) from the community at large.

Alameda County Deacon Representative*

Contra Costa County Deacon Representative*

 

* Note:  The Deacon Executive Committee shall nominate candidates for the Deacon Representatives from Alameda and Contra Costa Counties to be appointed by  the Bishop. 

 

3.4       Ex officio members are those members whose membership in the Council is by virtue of the office or position held in the Diocese of Oakland. 

 

3.4.1        Ex-officio members: The Secretary and Treasurer of the Deacon Board will serve in similar capacities to the Council as they do on the Deacon Board. 

 

4          DIOCESAN DIACONATE COUNCIL GUIDELINES

 

4.1       The DDC is authorized and governed by the principles set forth in the Directory for Ministry and Life of Permanent Deacons[3] (Congregation for the Clergy) as implemented in the United States by the National Directory for the Formation, Ministry and Life of Permanent Deacons in the United States[4] (USCCB).documents]

 

5          TERMS OF OFFICE

 

5.1    The members of the Council who do not serve as function of their position (i.e., chair of a board or committee) shall serve for 3 years. 

 

6.         MEETINGS

 

6.1    The Council shall meet at least two times a year (spring, and winter) and other times as called by the Bishop. 

 

6.2    The meetings shall be facilitated by the President of the Deacon Board, or in his absence, the President-Elect.  

 

6.3    The council will strive to make decisions by consensus, and if that cannot be reached, by vote of a simple majority of those present.


  

MEETING PROTOCOL GUIDELINES

 The following procedures serve as guidelines and may be modified by the President with the consent of the Executive Committee.

 

  1. Council meeting dates shall be established by the President of the Deacon Board with consultation from the Deacon Executive Board upon assuming office and no later than 1 September of the year. 

 

  1. The President of the Deacon Board shall forward the proposed dates to the Bishop’s Representative for scheduling the meeting with the Bishop and Vicar General.  Should scheduling conflicts arise, the Bishop’s Representative will collaborate with the President of the Deacon Board to select an alternative, acceptable date.  

  1. The Bishop’s Representative will be responsible for reserving a meeting room for the Council at the Chancery. 

 

4.      At least two weeks before the meeting date, the Bishop’s Representative will solicit from the Bishop and the Vicar General agenda items they desire to address at the Council meeting and forward them to the President of the Deacon Board for inclusion in the meeting agenda.  The Bishop’s Representative will include his desired agenda items with those of the Bishop and the Vicar General.  The Bishop’s Representative will annotate in the agenda items the source of the item and make every endeavor to gather background information on the agenda item to discuss with the President of the Deacon Board.  

  1. During this same period, the President of the Deacon Board will solicit agenda items from the other members of the Council. 

 

  1. At least one week before the meeting, the President of the Deacon Board will publish and promulgate with the assistance of the Secretary an agenda for the Council meeting.  The Bishop’s Representative will ensure copies of the agenda are provided to the Bishop and Vicar General. 

 

  1. The Secretary, with the collaboration and assistance of the other members of the Deacon Executive Board, will take and publish the minutes of the meeting no later than 30 days following the meeting.  
  1. The Bishop’s Representative will distribute the meeting minutes to the Bishop and Vicar General.  The President of the Deacon Board, with the assistance of the Secretary, will distribute the minutes to the other members of the Council.  

[1] Paragraph 80.

[2] Paragraph 331.

[3] Paragraph 80.

[4] Paragraph 331.

 

 

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Last modified: 06/10/08